Monday, June 28, 2010

Beatlemania has struck the land as the British Invasion of American Music was in full force.In the midst of all this, Lawrence Welk and his Music Makers carry on by striking up the band, which happens to be this week's episode.

Highlights from the classic black & white episode include....

....behind the scenes at a taping of Norwegian Bandstand

....the coal mines hiring zoo animals to replace striking miners

.....and the Maestro discussing the Designated Hitter rule with the Commissioner of Baseball Ford Frick.

STRIKE UP THE BAND - May 16, 1964

1. STRIKE UP THE BAND - the orchestra2. MY WONDERFUL ONE - Norma Zimmer & Jimmy Roberts3. THE BUNNY HUG, VALENTINO TANGO, LAMDEB WALK & THE TWIST - danced by Bobby Burgess and Barbara Boylan4. THIS COULD BE THE START OF SOMETHING BIG - Bob Ralston at the piano5. SNUGGLED ON YOUR SHOULDER (CUDDLED IN YOUR ARMS) - sung and danced by Dick Dale and Dee Dee Lennon

15. LITTLE GREY HOME IN THE WEST - Joe Feeney with Frank Scott at the piano16. AMERICAN PATROL - Jo Ann Castle at the honky tonk piano with Johnny Klein at drums and Neil Levang at banjo17. SIXTEEN TONS - sung and danced by Bobby Burgess, Jack Imel and Arthur Duncan18. I AM THE UNITED STATES - spoken word recitation by Aladdin19. THE NATIONAL EMBLEM MARCH - the orchestra

This was a delightful, timeless episode, and I am very impressed with how well the video quality has held up after forty six years since it was first recorded.

Also, this was an rare example of early videotaping that survived, considering that back in 1964 it was a new and expensive way of recording. It was not uncommon for networks to tape over, or wipe programs in order to save money. Supposedly, producers and executives did not have the foresight to archive television programs which meant some episodes or even entire television series were lost forever.However, Lawrence saw the value of preserving episodes of his show, and we are all thankful for his decision to this day.

There were many milestones in this week's show. It marked Dee Dee Lennon's return to the show after a four year hiatus of raising her family. This was also one of the first episodes that Arthur Duncan appeared as a regular member of the cast after guesting many times. And it was also great to see Ford Frick, who at the time was Commissioner of Major League Baseball attending the show as a member of the studio audience.

I wonder if the Maestro was pleading on Roger Maris' behalf of granting him true ownership of baseball's single season home rum record?

Anyway, until the next new episode comes along....keep a song in your heart and learn how to hit those tricky curveballs!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Which she'll be doing from September 9th to October 10th at the Welk Theater in Escondido.

Cissy will be part of the stage production of The Full Monty held at the Welk Resort Theatre, she'll be playing the part of Jeanette.To book your tickets to the show, just go to WELK RESORTS THEATRE: THE FULL MONTYAnd congratulations Cissy....as they say in the biz' Break a Leg!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Erin Anderson has once again made her presence felt in the world of entertainment!

The last we heard from her, she was appearing in a stage production in LA titled "Bobby Bendon Gets By" and a small part in the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds.Now, we hear that Gail Farrell's daughter is now appearing in advertisements for Arla Foods and Dairy Products.

Here's one of the commercials which is for their line of Apetina cheese, and as you can tell by the voice over at the end that the commercial is airing in Europe.

6. IN ACAPULCO - danced by Bobby Burgess and Cissy King7. ON TOP OF OLD SMOKEY - Clay Hart with Ralna, Guy, Mary Lou, Gail, Ken and Jimmy8. ON THE ALAMO - Peanuts Hucko on clarinet with orchestra9. LET'S GET AWAY FROM IT ALL - Guy Hovis and Ralna English10. LADY OF SPAIN - Myron Floren on accordion

A fine episode from one of my favorite eras of the Welk Show, this one was the season finale of their first year on syndication. When the Music Makers returned for the following season's opener, they would be on location in Hawaii.

Talk about bridging two seasons together on one common theme.

It was also great seeing Peanuts Hucko in the solo spotlight, truly one of the greats in big band music playing for the likes of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden.So remember this summer, when you're getting away from it all....don't forget to have fun and take plenty of pictures!

And until next week, keep a song in your heart and a guitar handy to impress the ladies around the campfire.

From Hollywood, The Lawrence Welk Network presents....

ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY JB FUNKY HIMSELF

About Me

The blogmeister is also the webmaster behind the very successful Welk Musical Family.com. I have been a fan of Lawrence Welk since I was a youngster (not too long ago!) and have watched (and taped) his show every Saturday night on my local PBS station, WGTE and sometimes WBGU. My hometown and current residence is Toledo, Ohio and in recent years, I have attended many of their live concerts and had the chance to meet many of the wunnerful music makers as well.